Bessie Smith News

Penguin Rep Theatre, the award-winning theatre in Stony Point, New York, under the leadership of Artistic Director Joe Brancato and Executive Director Andrew M. Horn, closes its 2016 season with the New York premiere of Daniel's Husband by Michael McKeever from September 23 through October 16, 2016. In Daniel's Husband, Mitchell and Daniel are the ideal couple, everything but married. Mitchell does not believe in marriage; Daniel does. "When their life together takes a shocking and unexpected turn," says Mr. Brancato, who will stage the production at Penguin Rep, "we learn about the power and pain of love in this breathtaking new play."

'I just tell people to keep an open mind and it's a great environment and it's definitely something for everybody in all ages.'

Join Rev. Mary, Courteney, and Liz ... and Dan for a night of Raunchy, Naughty, Saucy, Bawdy Blues from 'back in the day' with GRANNY'S BLUE-MERS World Premiere at The Duplex (61 Christopher Street @ 7th Avenue) in the heart of Greenwich Village!

Arts Garage's first play of the season puts a new spin on family drama bringing together a collection of characters rarely combined before.  The story introduces us to Charlotte, who is now in college, and whose relationship with her childhood best friend is raising red flags with her parents.  She's Jewish, he's black. So her parents have to scramble to keep up as Charlotte and Jonny's sexual desires complicate everyone's relationships in surprising, compulsive ways.

Janis Joplin was a force of nature. She was a candle in the wind. She was brash, vulgar, hard-drinking, hard-drugging, hard-living and fatally flawed.

While tickets to many of the major shows and concerts during the Kravis Center's 25th anniversary season go on public sale on October 1, eager entertainment fans can start buying tickets to 13 of the Center's earliest presentations starting onSeptember 9 at 10 am.

Rubicon Theatre Company's 2016-2017 Season was publicly announced today at a special event hosted by Joe Spano(Emmy Award and L.A. Drama Critics' Circle Award-winning veteran of stage and screen) and Peter Van Norden (whose numerous credits include five Broadway shows, regional theatre, film and television). The two actors star as Marley and Scrooge, respectively, in the company's adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which was a Critic's Choice in the L.A. Times and will be reprised this December under the direction of Brian McDonald. The season also features the third play in Arlene Hutton's celebrated Nibroc Trilogy, Gulf View Drive, helmed by London-based director Katharine Farmer; Miche Braden reprising her Off-Broadway performance in The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith written by Angelo Parra and directed by Joe Brancato of Penguin Rep; the return of the most popular comedy in Rubicon history, A.R. Gurney's Sylvia, directed by Stephanie A. Coltrin; direct from Off-Broadway, The Other Mozart written by and starring Silvia Milo and directed by Isaac Byrne, about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's equally remarkable sister Nannerl; Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, Frank McGuinness' riveting tale based on a true story about three hostages held in Beirut in1986, directed by Katharine Farmer; and King Lear by William Shakespeare, directed by James O'Neil.

Philadelphia chanteuse Julie Charnet brings her blend of jazz and swing to the Ethical Society of Philadelphia and other venues.

Folger Theatre's 2016/17 season kicks off with an inspired stage adaptation of one of literature's most cherished novels, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

The Alley Theatre brings Tony Award-nominated musical A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN to its Hubbard stage.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for the theatre's Summer Thrills Series and Broadway musical event - A Night With Janis Joplin. The Tony-Award nominated musical runs August 19 - September 18 in the Hubbard Theatre. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at alleytheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at 713-220-5700.

Billie Holiday knew what a little moonlight can do. Do you? Allow The Bayou Theatre Company to enlighten you with its production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL.

Barter Theatre presents "A Night with Janis Joplin" beginning August 18 through September 10.

The 2016-17 Season will mark Creative Cauldron's eighth year producing and presenting live theater and music at ArtSpace Falls Church.

Fifth Wall Productions is proud to present Hysterical! by Elenna Stauffer, making its world premiere at the Players' Club Theatre as part of the 2016 New York International Fringe Festival- Fringe NYC, a production of the Present Theatre Company.

Shows include THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX, CUDDLES, BLUES IN THE NIGHT: A MUSICAL, & BREADCRUMBS. For more information and tickets got to  www.artsgarage.org or call 561-450-6357.

Actor MARCUS NANCE from Shaw Festival, Actor/Director HUNTER FOSTER and Singer/Songwriter NINA ET CETERA Are Special Guests on This Week (Friday, July 22) on the LIVE Broadcast of State of the ARTS on WPKN-FM (89.5)

Firebrand Theatre is pleased to present JUKE JOINT, an evening of gritty blues songs performed by some of Chicago's best female talent on Monday, July 25 at 9 pm at The Den Theatre, 1329 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.

Kristin Piacentile is currently starring as Janis Joplin in A Night with Janis Joplin at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany, NY, where she portrays the legendary singer for three performances per week.

Equal parts folk songwriter and roots rocker, Bill Eberle makes forward-thinking music that nods to the past while still pushing ahead.